July 17, 2008

I foolishly thought you could find the answer (perhaps an answer would be more appropriate) to any question on the internet. Not so, people. I have absolutely scoured the web for the reasoning behind calling certain sourdough starters Herman and I can find nothing.

If you know the origins of the name, please do tell. However, even if there turns out to be a legitimate reason, I refuse to rename Eb. He's an Ebenezer, through and through.
Eb's latest accomplishment is a coffee cake. Since I was in a questioning mood, I wondered to myself just what defined a coffee cake. My go-to source for such inquiries says that a coffee cake is "a cake served with coffee or eaten at breakfast...typically flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruits" and that "sometimes has a crumbly or crumb topping called streusel." Ah, streusel. Even reading the word makes me swoon.

I should really remove all paraphernalia from my table before the photo session begins. Yes, that's a banana in the background. It's ripening nicely.

So according to that definition, this is definitely a coffee cake. It was a)eaten for breakfast, b)eaten with coffee, c)flavored (abundantly) with cinnamon, and d)streuseled. (I'll bet you didn't know streusel could be used as a verb. Now you know.)

I chose this particular recipe because it calls for two whole cups of starter, and I needed to use quite a bit since Eb was outgrowing his jar. Plus, even though I just made that phenomenal (all modesty aside, of course)cinnamon cake, I figured a little more cinnamon aroma in the apartment couldn't hurt. Also, unlike the cinnamon cake [that one was mine, all mine! (insert evil laugh here)], I'd be sharing this one.

Look at that crater. You could fit an entire Riesen chocolate chew in there. Awesome.

I only made one change to the typical coffee cake. Instead of having the streusel on top, I put it in the middle in hopes of creating a lovely, aesthetically-pleasing ribbon of buttery, cinnamon-happy goo. I also increased the streusel component since I figured that two cups of starter might be a bit overwhelming (and because it's butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon--come on!). Ultimately, I think the sourdough flavor was still a bit strong, but it was undoubtedly a delicious cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a mini loaf pan (or your more traditional 9x13" pan) with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together Eb, oil, and eggs. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until combined.
For the streusel, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the softened butter until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs. Try to refrain from digging in with a spoon.
Divide the cake batter evenly into the loaf forms, filling them about 1/3 full. Sprinkle each with the streusel and top with the remaining batter.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the toothpick test is passed. (No, Floyd County footballers--not that toothpick test.) Cool on a wire rack.

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comments:

I am with you on the internet, as I have tried to research something and have been shocked I couldn't find the answer. Back to the good old public library for the answers. I remember Herman but not where he's from.

Grace, honestly, I've never tried sour dough coffee cake. But since I love all the components separately I'm pretty sure I will enjoy them together as your cake. Thank you for the recipe. Your cake does look incredibly delicious.

You've challenged me grace.Part of my job is research, and I SO want to find the reason it's called a Herman, I mean, what the heck is that all about?And you've taught me something, I too didn't realize sourdough starter could lend itself to anything, but, you know, bread!

First I say: I have just discovered food blogs in the last few months, and I am especially enjoying yours.What great photos and instructions! I have fun cooking, but am definitely a beginner when it comes to baking. I almost hesitate to ask, but I WANT to make this coffee cake, and I have no "Eb" of my own. Can you help? How do I start a starter? And, do they all eat potato flakes!? Thanks in advance for your advice!

colleen r:thanks for your kind words!! i'm thrilled that i've had a part in inspiring you to make your own eb. :) this site should be most helpful. the only difference from what i do is in the "starter feeder" section. i feed eb, let him sit on the counter overnight, and then immediately mix up my bread rather than refrigerating him for 3 to 5 days before doing so. also, i can go up to 14 days (rather than 3 to 5) without feeding him again. also, don't forget that metal utensils shouldn't be used. if any of this is unclear or if you have other questions, i'm happy to try and help--feel free to email me at asoutherngrace@gmail.com. :)

OK so here's my theory: a Herman sourdough starter is also known as a pre-ferment. "Ferment" sort of sounds like Herman-I think it's a classic case of telephone-somewhere along the line some slightly hard of hearing person thought the (possibly French) pastry chef was saying Herman instead of ferment. I don't know, sounds plausible to me! Your cake looks divine!

Ok... so I'm a month late to this post. That said, I have fond memories of Herman (a.k.a Eb) from my childhood.

My mother was an elementary school teacher in a small Midwestern town. Back in the day, various mothers (of her students) would bring in baked breads and Herman starters as a way of saying thank you for a job well done (small town = lots of starters to go around.)

Anyway, I can remember a big debate between her and my aunt about how Herman starter got its name. While the world may never know definitively, there was one general story everyone seemed to agree on... and it went something like this (the following story was also corroborated on hungrybrowser.com):

"Herman is a name that was given to a sourdough starter many years ago when a young girl (probably in San Francisco) watched her mother making sourdough.

The mother explained that the starter was a living thing and needed to be feed and watered. The little girl, in the way of little girls everywhere, decided that it needed a name like everything else that was alive. After due consideration, she bestowed the name "Herman" upon it.

The mother wanted to share the starter with her friends, so along with the starter went the anecdote of her daughter's naming the starter. As friends gave this starter to other people, they also provided the story of the little girl. To this day, "Hermans" seem to pop up among sourdough aficionados everywhere, all due to a little girl and her need for everything to have a name."

Now, if that story isn't enough of a stretch for you, there happens to be a cookbook called, The Best of Herman Sourdough Herald, by Dawn Watland Johanson & Harlene Hayer Watland.

Some 236 pages in length, the cookbook features instructions on how to make and share Herman starter; Herman recipes for breads, cakes and cookies; AS WELL AS the history of Herman starter.

"Herman is a name that was given to a sourdough starter many years ago when a young girl (probably in San Francisco) watched her mother making sourdough. The mother explained that the sponge was a living thing and needed to be feed and watered. The little girl, in the way of little girls everywhere and everywhen, decided that it needed a name like everything else that was alive, and some things that weren't. After due consideration, she bestowed the name "Herman" upon it.Like most good things the mother wanted to share the starter with her friends. Along with the starter went the anecdote of her daughter's naming the sponge. As friends gave this starter to other people, they also received the story of the little girl. To this day "Hermans" seem to pop up among sourdough aficionados everywhere, all due to a little girl and her need for everything to have a name. "